The headquarters of NCSOFT Corp. in Bundang, southeast of Seoul. (image: ohyecloudy/flickr)
SEOUL, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) — NCSOFT Corp., a major South Korean online and mobile game developer, announced that it will self-impose strong regulations as game developers are imposing stricter voluntary restrictions on ‘gacha’ items.
The Korea Internet and Digital Entertainment Association has recently released an amended code of conduct for self-regulation on gacha items.
The amendment now subjects both items and other types of content related to effects and abilities to reveal their gacha rates, including rates for capsule items, paid items for upgrades and merges, as well as items with both free and paid features.
NCSOFT announced that it will impose the code of conduct’s regulations as early as the third quarter of this year, and apply the regulations to all games by December, when the amendment takes effect.
The company said that it will reveal the gacha rates for all paid items as well as hybrid items.
NCSOFT’s recent gesture is seen as a response to a series of boycotts and protests by users.
“There is still no way to penalize game developers for revealing false gacha rates. The real question is how should we make games that do not use gachas,” said Wi Jong-hyun, president of the Korea Game Society.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
